THE VIGYAN BHAIRAV TANTRA, AN EXQUISTE MAP FOR LIVING By Ma Ananda Sarita

There is a 5000 year old scripture from India, called the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, (meaning methods for raising consciousness) which describes 112 meditations. These are offered in the form of a conversation between Lord Shiva and his consort, Paravati. She asks:

"Oh Shiva, What is your reality? What is this wonder-filled

Universe? What constitutes seed? Who centres the universal wheel? What isthis life beyond form pervading forms? How may we enter it fully, above

space and time, names and descriptions? Let my doubts be cleared!"

Shiva answers in the form of Sutras, which are short condensed spiritual teachings, covering each facet of human experience. When we immerse ourselves in these sutras by practicing them as meditations, we learn that each aspect of the human being can become a door into expanded consciousness.

When reading the sutras listed below, it is good to keep in mind that these are just 10, (out of 112.) This short list offers a taste of the wide scope of the Tantra experience and how this can be applied to daily life.

FOOD: "When eating or drinking, become the taste of food or drink, and be filled."

ATTACHMENT and DETACHMENT: "The appreciation of objects and subjects is the same for an enlightened as for an unenlightened person. The former has one greatness; he remains in the subjective mood, not lost in things."

SEXUALITY: "When in such embrace your senses are shaken as leaves, enter this shaking."

DEATH: "Focus on fire rising through your form from the toes up until the body burns to ashes but not you."

TRANSCENDING FEAR: "In rain during a black night, enter that blackness as the form of forms."

COSMIC JOKE: "This so-called universe appears as a juggling, a picture show. To be happy, look upon it so."

AWE: "See as if for the first time a beauteous person or an ordinary object."

MEDITATION IN THE MARKETPLACE: "When in worldly activity, keep attention between two breaths, and so practicing, in a few days be born anew."

AWARENESS IN EXTREME LIFE EXPERIENCES: "At the start of sneezing, during fright, in anxiety, above a chasm, flying in battle, in extreme curiosity, at the beginning of hunger, at the end of hunger, be uninterruptedly aware."

The meditations from the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra offer us the possibility to experience present moment awareness. It may be necessary to practice a certain meditation several times or even for months, in order to discover the nectar hidden within it. Once this has happened, you will remain open in regards to this particular life principle. By practicing these methods, people transform their lives very rapidly.

I offer a once yearly group in November, in Dharamsala India, for practicing the 112 methods in a very supportive atmosphere. I also offer guidance for some of the meditations in an on-line video course. A wonderful book to study regarding these methods, is the Book of Secrets, by Osho.